1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an occupant protection device which protects a vehicle occupant by restraining the movement of a target area of the seated occupant.
2. Description of the Related Art
As disclosed in JP 04-278858 A and JP 2001-122061 A, for example, in a conventional occupant protection device of this kind, a restraint body connected to a driving mechanism, such as a knee bolster or a knee panel, is located in front of and close to knees of a seated vehicle occupant while being surrounded by an interior decoration member, for protecting the occupant's knees.
In this occupant protection device, the restraint body shifts to a position for receiving the occupant's knees moving forward when the driving mechanism is actuated. If it is not predicted that the knees move forward after the restraint body once protrudes rearward from the interior decoration member, the driving mechanism is reactuated to return the restraint body to the original position in the interior decoration member.
When the restraint body is returned to the original position after protruding rearward of the vehicle, for example when the restraint body is positioned rearward in a prediction of a frontal collision of the vehicle, but the collision is avoided thereafter, the restraint body is desirably returned. However, when the restraint body returns, if there is little extra space along a surface of an edge portion of the interior decoration member between the restraint body and the edge portion of the interior decoration member around an opening for accommodating the interior member in light of appearance, it is liable that the restraint body cannot return to the original position appropriately, for example the outer edge of the restraint body overlaps on the opening edge of the interior decoration member.
Of course, if there is enough space between the outer edge of the restraint body and the opening edge of the interior decoration member in a direction along the surface of the opening edge of the interior decoration member, the restraint body will return smoothly. With this arrangement, however, a gap therebetween becomes large and the appearance facing the occupant is deteriorated.